Improvement in railways



2 Sheets-Sheet 1,.

Z. EASTMAN.

Car Truck.

Patented Oct. 9, 1866.

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Inventor:

Witnesses:

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2 Sh t- Z' EASTMANI ees Sheet 2 Car Truck.

Patented Oct. 9, 1866.

Witnesses:

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AHL PHOTD-LITHO. C!)v NX (OSBURNE'S PROCSS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZEBINA EASTMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,621, dated October 9, 1866.

To alt whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ZEBINA EASTMAN, a citizen ot the United States of America, but at present the United States consul for and residing at Bristol, in the county of Gloucester, in England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Running-Gear of Oarriages, Vifagons, and Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon.

My invention consists in constructing the working part ot' carriages and wagons with movable and self radiating and adjusting axletrees, to adapt themselves and the carriages to curves and circles or straight lines.

For myfour-wheel carriages or cars I mount upon each of the two axle-trees a circular rim or bed-piece, which is rmly bolted to the axletrees, upon which the body of the carriage rests, and on which it turns, assisted by friction-rollers when necessary, as the axle-tree turns or oseillates while the carriage is making a circle. I secure the carriage with a kingbolt through t-he center of each axle-tree, and which also forms the center of this supportingringor bed-piece or table ou which the carriage rests. I ease the carriage by an indiarubber pad or spring, through which the kingbolt passes, or by the use of other springs attached to t-he friction-rollers. I connect the two axle-trees by a reach or connecting-rod in the center, through which the king-bolt passes. I also connect the axle-trees with another reach or connecting-rod, which I attach to an ear-piece near one end of the axle-tree, and pass it diagonally or transversely across the center reach to a like fastening on the opposite end of the other axle-tree. Thus, when one axle-tree is moved in either direction to adapt itself to the curve in the rails, the opposite end of the other axle-tree will be moved by this transverse rod in like manner, and thus by the force of the propelling power, by this combination, whenever one pair of wheels or an axle-tree moves in a circle the other pair radiates to the same circle or curve, and returning again to parallel lines when the carriage is drawn upon straight, and thus no more friction is produced in traveling round corners or even complete circles than when running on a straight line.

Figure 7 is a view in plan, and Fig. S a view in side eleva-tion, of the working part of afourwheel carriage or wagon with this improvement applied.

d d are the tables or bed-pieces, to which the axles e e are united, and on which the wheels fj'ff are free to rotate. g g are the kingbolts, by which the carriage or wagon (not shown) is or may be attached thereto. h is the connecting-rod or reach uniting the axles e c, and loosely connected thereto. is the rod or transverse reach uniting the tables d d. Then the carriage or wagon travels in a straight line, or nearly, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the axles remain parallel to one another, or nearly so, as seen in those gures; but at a curve or bend of the tram, as shown in Fig. 9, the wheels radiate and adapt themselves thereto, no matter how great or how little the curve may be.

l construct my carriages of six wheels and three axle-trees7 as follows: The plan of this is given in Fig. I0. I connect the axles c e. with center reaches, b I), as in the carriage before described; but I joint the reaches at the connection with the middle axle-tree, y, so as to allow that to oscillate across the carriage-body. rIhe Vcentral axle-tree, y, carries a quadrantshaped frame, r, provided with teeth or cogs, with corresponding teeth on a similar frame on the fore and hind axle-tree, as the case may be, s s forming a segment of gear-wheels, which are bolted to the front and rear axletrees and united with each in gear, as shown. I connect the front and rear segments with transverse reaches Thus, by the combination of the segments and reaches, when the carriage moves and turns upon a circle the axle-trees all radiate by a simultaneous action, as in the case of the two-axle-tree carriage before described, and the line of each of the three axle-trees points to a common center of a circle.

The carriage frame or body is attached to the runninggear by king-bolts and elastic springs through the reaches, as seen at o o, and is also supported and kept in a steady and easy position by semi-elliptic or other springs o n on the sides of the carriage, resting upon the middle axle-free. The movement of the end axle-trees-into a curve causes the middle axle-tree to traverse endwise across the frame of the carriage, the line of which is always direotly square with the carriage.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The axles e e, each constructed in one piece, in combination with the tables or bedpieoes d d, connecting-rod or reach 7L, and transverse reaeb i, the whole being,` constructed, arranged, and operated substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

ZEBINA. ,EASTMAN In presence ofv SIDNEY C. EAs'rMAN, WILLIAM BAKER. 

